Daughter of Earth
by TheWeasleyBoys
Summary: A little one-shot I made that takes place one year before Toph first meets the Gaang. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.


"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the show 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', nor do I own Toph Bei Fong. I own this little one-shot about her, but that's about it.

**Author's note:** In case anybody wonders later, a nightjar is a bird native to China, a sanxian is a Chinese lute, and…Gaoling is Gaoling, be it in Avatar times or the present. Hope you enjoy this fic.

"_Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing. I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants."_

_--Toph, 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' Season 2, Episode 6: __The Blind Bandit_

**DAUGHTER OF EARTH**

Sometimes, when I find a moment to myself, I walk through the gardens of my family's estate and imagine that I'm traveling across the world. I hear the rush of the wind as it blows freely through my hair and over my skin. The sun feels warm upon my face, and I smell the scents of chrysanthemums and roses. And every now and then, I can almost taste the salt of the sea in the air.

Then I hear the footsteps of the estate guards upon the earth, and my imagination fades back into reality. Like so many times before, they scold me for traveling the grounds by myself, and insist that they take me back indoors. I don't blame them, of course, because I know that they're just following orders. It's the people that gave those orders that I don't agree with. To the guards, they're known as Master and Lady Bei Fong; but to me, they're known as Mom and Dad. Even though I'm their daughter, there are a lot of times that I feel more like a prisoner.

From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, it's like I'm always being watched over by somebody else. My breakfast, lunch, and dinner are always cooked _just_ _so_ to make sure the food is neither too hot nor too cold, and then cut into small bites so there's no risk of me choking. When I get dressed for the day, a servant has to be there to see that my hands don't get caught in my sleeves, or that I don't trip on my skirts, or that I don't have trouble fastening any laces, clasps, or buttons. When I play with my dolls or practice on my _sanxian_, there can be absolutely _no_ sharp pins or needles stuck in the cloth, or any rough parts to the instrument, or any splinters in the floor where I sit and stand. And when Master Yu instructs me in Earthbending, all I'm allowed to do is push small stones across the courtyard.

"It's for your own safety," they tell me whenever my face breaks into a scowl. Because I've been blind since birth, they use this as an excuse to treat me like a helpless baby. To Mom, Dad, and everyone else that comes and goes from my household, I'm seen as very little else.

However, sometimes after they've all gone to sleep, I use a special escape route to leave the house and go somewhere where I'm not watched over all the time. Sometimes, I remember that I'm much more skilled in Earthbending than everyone else believes I am, and I use it to create a tunnel beneath the grounds that leads to an open spot in Gaoling. And once I'm there, the life I know turns around completely.

Soon, I'm standing on two large mounds of earth, one underneath each of my feet. I slowly shift from left to right, and with my movements, the earth follows. We travel as one down the long, wide paths of the town; making just enough noise as a few pebbles slipping down a hill. The night is clear and cool, and in the distance, I hear the song of a nightjar resting in a tree.

Out here, I am no longer the 'protected' daughter of nobles, and I'm no longer trapped within four walls. Instead, I become a Daughter of Earth, and I'm free to go where I wish. The ground doesn't hold me back, but instead rises to welcome me as I go along, its rough, rocky hands holding me up just enough so that I keep my balance. Every other movement, shift, and choice is mine, and tonight, I decide to take us to the edge of town for a special event—"Earth Rumble 5".

On a certain spring night each year, the best Earthbenders in the Kingdom travel here to show off their skills against each other, and also to win the champion's belt and a little prize money for their efforts. I started coming here two years after I first learned to control my element, and so far, I've remained undefeated for four years straight. Once you fight your way up to the top of your first tournament and keep on winning ever since; it sure is a lot of fun.

Most of the other fighters stay in small rooms under the Ring until their names are called. I, however, have a special room reserved for me—as the official defending champion, it's almost become like a second home. I'm able to rest there after my journey, and I get some free tea to refresh myself. As I wait for my turn to come, I relax in my cool, soft surroundings; its uneven edges brushing against my fingers and toes. Then, someone in the hallway calls for 'The Blind Bandit'—my name inside the Ring—and I'm instantly on my feet, marching in between the two women chosen to present me to the crowd. I hear them chanting for me the moment I first walk out onto the floor:

"_Ban-dit! Ban-dit! Ban-dit!_"

Hearing that one word get shouted in my favor is enough to help me focus on the fight ahead. After I raise my champion's belt into the air and my nickname is introduced, the woman on my left goes to hang up my cape, and the woman on my right borrows my belt for safe keeping. The managers of this event _always_ like to be cautious just in case there's a new champion. Little do they know I'm not ready to give up my position just yet.

"Are you _serious_? Out of all the Earthbenders in the world, the Kingdom sends a _child_ to fight the great Madam Crag?"

I hear the voice of my opponent several steps away, and so far, she sounds like one of those big-ego types. Her voice comes from above me, so she's probably a good foot taller than I am. I also feel her shift her weight to her left as she's speaking; which just may be the hand she uses for her Earthbending.

"You don't sound all that much older than me, Madam _Anthill_," I retort, smirking and pointing a finger in the direction of her voice. "Where'd you come from, Master Yu's Training Academy?"

She lets out a loud snort as the crowd starts to laugh, and I can tell I've already gotten to her. She's probably going to try and take it out on me in the Ring, but I'm not nervous or afraid in the slightest. I've had my own technique down ever since I was five years old. The moment I first ran away and hid in a cave was the same moment I came across two badgermoles, and I soon learned how to 'listen' to the Earth by copying their movements as they crawled through the tunnels. Since then, I've been more in tune with my element than anyone else; and as a result, 'Madam Crag' is due for a big surprise.

As soon as she takes a step towards me, our duel begins, for I hear the vibrations she makes and I can tell she plans to fight. What she hasn't planned on, however, is the ground suddenly shifting beneath her, causing to fall backwards onto the floor. One movement of my foot, and it looks as though she's tripped entirely on her own.

I smile to myself after hearing her curse loudly, and the crowd laughs along with what's just happened. Madam Crag stands up again and sends two large rocks straight for me; but I quickly counter with a larger barrier that the rocks crumble against upon contact. I then push the rocks and the barrier together into a giant disc and send it right back at my opponent, who barely ducks in time to avoid being hit.

She growls under her breath after the disc hits the wall behind her, and with it, I hear her heart speeding up in anger. It shouldn't be much longer now—there are a lot of people who have trouble Earthbending when they're mad, and I'm sure this lady's one of them.

Sure enough, she's too annoyed to focus, and wildly pushes a wave of stones in my direction with the hopes that one of them will somehow hit me. In turn, I hear each stone as it comes, and slowly form them all around my arms and legs until I have one set each of rocky gloves and boots. I hear the spectators in the stands gasp as one while they wait in anticipation for my next attack.

One second later, I've dropped to my knees and slammed my fists and feet against the floor, sending all of the stones straight to Madam Crag as a giant wave of earth. The wave comes at her so fast that she can't duck out of the way this time, and instead, she's knocked off balance and hurtled right out of the Ring. As for me, I laugh and raise my fist into the air as the crowd cheers my latest victory. Once again, the tournament title is mine, and the success of 'The Blind Bandit' still stands.

Several minutes afterwards, once the cheers and applause have died away and the audience has all left, I travel back to my room within the Bei Fong estate; entering without a sound so as not to disturb the guards. I change quietly out of my uniform and back into my nightclothes, and then return my costume to a safe place beneath the floorboards, placing my latest share of prize money beside it. Once all has been safely tucked away, I push the boards back into place and slide the carpet back over the spot so that neither Mom nor Dad discovers what I've been up to.

Finally, I climb back into bed, close my eyes, and think about all that's happened to me tonight, as well as how different it is from the life I normally live. A part of me can't wait for this day next year, because it is another chance to get away during the night and life the live of a freer, much happier person. At the same time, however, there's another part of me that wonders what I would do if I ever ran away permanently—where I would go, who I could travel with, how I'd be able to survive on my own. I seem to have no way out except to use my bare hands, and even after that happened, I'd be lost without either any money or a means of transportation to someplace else besides Gaoling.

That's when a thought suddenly hits me—if I can easily Earthbend my way to the edge of town, I could probably go to other places as well. If I continue to win in the Earth Rumble tournaments, someday I could have enough money to leave home and never come back. And if my first 'escape' resulted in me learning to control my element…then there would be no limit to what I'd be able to do if I ever got away for real.

This time, as I have a small moment to myself before I fall asleep; I imagine standing inside a garden full of chrysanthemums and roses; feeling their many textures against my hands as their fragrances fill the air. In the distance, the waves of the ocean crash against the shoreline, mixing its water with the sand below and its spray with the sky above. The warmth of the sun remains strong, coming down from above to sweep across sea and ground alike. In my bliss, I promise myself that one day, I'll leave my prison of a home behind and travel to places just like I've imagined.

And when that time comes, I know that the earth will be there to welcome me.


End file.
